College hoops stars in Sweet 16 could light up NBA draft

By Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY

This Sweet 16 weekend of the NCAA tournament could be a revealing look at the present and future of men's basketball.

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  By Andrew Synowiez-US Presswire

  Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, a freshman, is the No. 1 rated player by DraftExpress.com despite missing 26 games with a toe injury.

By Andrew Synowiez-US Presswire

Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, a freshman, is the No. 1 rated player by DraftExpress.com despite missing 26 games with a toe injury.

Of the top 100 NBA prospects ranked by DraftExpress.com, considered one of the top professional scouting sites, 31 were playing for Sweet 16 teams; 23 are in the top 60, and nine are projected lottery picks. That includes Duke guard Kyrie Irving (No. 1), Ohio State forward Jared Sullinger (No. 3), North Carolina big men Harrison Barnes (No. 4) and John Henson (No. 12) and Connecticut guard Kemba Walker (No. 7).

The list does not include Kentucky freshman big man Enes Kanter, a projected lottery pick who didn't play this season because he was ruled ineligible by the NCAA.

With Kentucky-Ohio State Friday, DraftExpress.com President Jonathan Givony said, "You could be looking at eight, nine future NBA players on the court at the same time."

"It's a very exciting time for NBA scouts to evaluate," he added. "Most of the cream of the crop are playing in the Sweet 16. We're going to get a pretty good taste of the top prospects."

Irving, a freshman, is No. 1 despite missing 26 games with a toe injury. His first game back since Dec. 4 came in the opening round of the NCAA tournament last week. In eight games before his injury he averaged 16.4 points, 4.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds. .

"Anybody who decides to fully evaluate his strength and weaknesses based on what he sees last weekend or what he see this weekend is not going to get the full picture," Givony said. "What we can learn about Kyrie Irving is that he is a very competitive guy. Many would have decided to sit out this tournament, but he wanted to help his team."

Point guards, who have been stars of the past two drafts, are worth checking out again. Walker, Kentucky's Brandon Knight (No. 8), Brigham Young's Jimmer Fredette (No. 15) and Duke combo guard Nolan Smith (No. 23) are projected first-rounders.

This year's class is deep at forward: Sullinger, Barnes, Henson, Arizona's Derrick Williams, San Diego State's Kawhi Leonard, Kansas twins Marcus and Markieff Morris (Nos. 18 and 24), Florida State's Chris Singleton (No. 25) and Richmond's Justin Harper (No. 33).

Friday's matchup between the Morris twins and Harper in the Kansas-Richmond game intrigues Givony.

"The Morris twins are two NBA players, in terms of physicality, toughness and strength, and have an ability to dominate a matchup inside the paint," he said.

"It's really a chance for Harper to show he's a first-round pick. To go up against arguably the two toughest players in college basketball, there isn't a better opportunity for him."

Because several players are underclassmen, there is no certainty of who will enter the draft. Underclassman have until April 24 to enter the draft and until May 8 to drop out.

Prospects also must consider the impact of an extended NBA lockout. They must weigh entering the draft, only to lose playing time and a chance to improve if there is no season vs. returning to school and trying to improve their draft position ? and their slotted salary.

"What is the cost of not being in an intense, structured basketball environment where you are working your weaknesses every single day?" Givony said. "But if everybody goes back, next year will be loaded and some guys will fall. There's really a lot to process."

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Sweet 16 stars and their rankings

College basketball players ranked among Draftexpress.com's top 100 picks for June's NBA draft whose teams made it to the NCAA's Sweet 16 (*-ranked among the top 14 lottery picks):

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Position, player	Rank	Class	Height, Weight
1-seed Ohio State
*PF Jared Sullinger	3rd	Freshman	6-8, 250
SG William Buford	46th	Junior	6-5, 185
SG David Lighty	57th	Senior	6-5, 220
SG Jon Diebler	100th	Senior	6-6, 200
1-seed Duke
*PG Kyrie Irving	1st	Freshman	6-2, 185
PG-SG Nolan Smith	23rd	Senior	6-3, 185
PF Mason Plumlee	27th	Sophomore	6-11, 210
SF Kyle Singler	49th	Senior	6-9. 210
1-seed Kansas
PF Marcus Morris	18th	Junior	6-9, 225
PF Markieff Morris	24th	Junior	6-10, 235
PF Thomas Robinson	28th	Sophomore	6-8, 220
SG-PG Josh Selby	36th	Freshman	6-1, 180
PG Tyshawn Taylor	71st	Junior	6-3, 180
2-seed Florida
PF-C Patric Young	21st	Freshman	6-9, 220
SF Chandler Parsons	86th	Senior	6-9, 200
2-seed North Carolina
*SF Harrison Barnes	4th	Freshman	6-8, 210
*PF John Henson	12th	Sophomore	6-10, 200
PF-C Tyler Zeller	37th	Junior	6-11, 220
2-seed San Diego State
*SF Kawhi Leonard	14th	Sophomore	6-7, 225
3-seed BYU
PG Jimmer Fredette	15th	Senior	6-2, 195
3-seed Connecticut
*PG Kemba Walker	7th	Junior	6-0, 180
PF Alex Oriakhi	77th	Sophomore	6-9, 225
4-seed Kentucky
*PG-SG Brandon Knight	8th	Freshman	6-3, 170
*SF-PF Terrence Jones	11th	Freshman	6-8, 245
SG Doron Lamb	64th	Freshman	6-4, 170
4-seed Wisconsin
PG Jon Leuer	66th	Senior	6-10, 230
PG Jordan Taylor	80th	Junior	6-1, 195
5-seed Arizona
*PF Derrick Williams	6th	Sophomore	6-8, 235
10-seed Florida State
SF-PF Chris Singleton	25th	6-8, 210
11-seed Marquette
SF-PF Jimmy Butler	82nd	Senior	6-7, 220
12-seed Richmond
PF Justin Harper	33rd	Senior	6-10, 225

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